Eating Out 2 to play in the tree house, a play structure that hugs the perimeter of the dining room, equipped with climbing ropes and walkways. Those playing were totally happy. We did see to-go boxes for leftovers, containing $6 sandwiches from the kids’ menu. The kids’ menu also offers spaghetti with meat ($7) or vegetarian ($6) sauce, macaroni and cheese ($6) and fish and chips ($6). You could argue that dining in a play area does not prepare kids for behaving in real restaurants. Also, online reviewers have complained about the menu prices and the $5 charge for children to use the play structure. “You can’t have awesome and cheap,� Mary Heffernan said. If it were free, people would come just to use the play structure and crowd out the people who want to eat. On weekdays they have “happy hour� from 3 to 5 p.m., when it’s just $1 to play. H&H’s next project is a ranch in Fort Jones, up near the California-Oregon border. There they plan to raise cattle, chickens and pigs, and particularly focus on free-range pasteurized eggs. They also plan to utilize the ranch to educate children about sources of food. Once upon a time, before the antique stores, Los Altos was all about apricot orchards. H&H is bringing back a bit of that agricultural heritage.N
the Chocolate Garage space will reopen. In the meantime, it is business as usual for the chocolate shop. “We have moved into the conference room next door until we are bee-free,� de Tourreil said, adding, “This is not what we had planned for the summer.�
ShopTalk by Daryl Savage
MONIQUE’S CHOCOLATES TO CLOSE ... Not all business who leave downtown Palo Alto do so because of rent increases. Such is the case with Monique’s Chocolates . “After a very successful five years, we have decided to take a break when our lease runs out,� said Monique’s owner Mark West, who will be moving to Paris, France. The chocolatier’s last day at 539 Bryant St. is June 15. “I was putting in 12 to 18 hours a day. My business has gotten so big and so crazy that even on my day off, I was still working,� West said. The chocolate shop was named after West’s daughter, Monique. “When we started this business, Monique was younger. Now it’s her last year at Paly. It’s time to take some time off so I can spend more time with her,� West said. “I had the option to renew (the lease). It had nothing to do with the rent. That was not the problem. But we’re looking into starting a shop in Paris,� West said, adding that he is excited about the new undertaking he faces. “I’m not naive. Moving to Paris and starting a chocolate shop is a challenge of huge proportions,� he said. West’s decision to close up shop was not made because another chocolate shop moved in across the street. Alegio Chocolate hung out its shingles at 522 Bryant last year. “My decision had nothing to do with the guy that opened up across the street. We’re totally different,� he said. Customers have been trying to persuade West
to reconsider and have urged him to stay put. “It was great to be part of the local community here, but my wife and I are looking forward to our new adventure.� BEE INVASION AT CHOCOLATE GARAGE ... Another downtown chocolate shop took a bit of a hit when it was discovered that an estimated 5,000 honey bees had taken up residence above the ceiling of the Chocolate Garage, 654 Gilman St. “We have been working with a bee specialist to carefully extract the hive, including the queen, and then to relocate these life-giving insects,� Chocolate Garage owner Sunita de Tourreil said. The extraction, which took place last weekend, included cutting through the ceiling of the chocolate shop to remove the bees and the hive. Although the bee experts were prepared to suck out the thousands of bees in a vacuum and then relocate them to a beekeeper’s backyard in Palo Alto, they found the bees had already vacated the space. “They had to poke around through the ceiling to see where the comb was, then cut out a square,� de Tourreil said. In preparation for this, de Tourreil had to get an air-conditioned van to move hundreds of pounds of chocolate out of her shop and into a temperature-controlled wine storage space in Menlo Park. “We’re the only chocolate in that storage facility; all the rest is wine,� she said. Once the ceiling is repaired,
THREE NEW CLOTHING BOUTIQUES AT T&C ... A few stylish boutiques have signed on at Town & Country Village in Palo Alto. J. McLaughlin , scheduled to open June 13, replaces the space of three-year-old Crimson Mim , which still has its original store in downtown Los Altos. J. McLaughlin, based on the East Coast and offering classic American sportswear and accessories, is the company’s 80th store and its second location in California. “We were immediately attracted to the aesthetics of Town & Country Village. The unique architecture and diverse blend of tenants is compatible with the way our customer likes to shop,� said cofounder Jay McLaughlin. The store is hoping to become an active presence in the community, and “Town & Country felt like the perfect place for us to do just that,� he said. Also new to the shopping center is Planet Blue, which took over the former San Francisco 49ers Team Store location. Planet Blue, which started in Malibu in 1995, is a Southern California-based retailer selling beach-inspired and bohemianstyle fashions. The third new clothing shop to move in is Intermix, a women’s boutique. The T&C location is the store’s first one in Northern California. Its philosophy is “Mixing fashionable pieces in unexpected ways,� according to the store’s website. N
Heard a rumor about your favorite store or business moving out, or in, down the block or across town? Daryl Savage will check it out. Email shoptalk@paweekly.com.
PENINSULA
Discover the best places to eat this week! AMERICAN
CHINESE
Armadillo Willy’s
New Tung Kee Noodle House
941-2922 1031 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos www.armadillowillys.com
947-8888 520 Showers Drive, Mountain View www.shopmountainview.com/luunoodlemv
ITALIAN
INDIAN
Cucina Venti
Janta Indian Restaurant
254-1120 1390 Pear Ave, Mountain View www.cucinaventi.com
462-5903 369 Lytton Ave. www.jantaindianrestaurant.com
CHINESE
Read and post reviews,
Ming’s
explore restaurant menus,
856-7700 1700 Embarcadero East, Palo Alto www.mings.com
get hours and directions and more at ShopPaloAlto, ShopMenloPark
powered by:
and ShopMountainView
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